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Posts tagged ‘Poor’

On Saturday the 9th of June 2012 CitiAct Youth have made a Flash Mob at Hamra street representing a Lebanese Ministers session regarding the increasing cost of Bread in Lebanon.
The Citizens are represented by the poor man sitting on the table trying to eat a piece of Bread.

Jeanine Mollof: The ‘Occupy’ movement does have multiple goals which can be confusing. Among those varied goals–one clear message does come through–they want the public to realize that our political system has been hijacked and is fraudulent. Furthermore, they want that same public to enter not only the discussion but the ‘fray’ itself. Bluntly put, the ‘Occupy’ movement is attempting to push discussion, planning and eventual action into the streets where anyone can join and fight for democracy. Because our political system has been so compromised, democracy no longer exists in any meaningful way in the US. I suspect that the ultimate goal of ‘Occupy’ is to build up to a massive GENERAL STRIKE of most workers in the US until we have our rights restored, (that includes political, economic and healthcare). It may be clumsy, but no one was listening to progressives until these kids began ‘Occupy.’ Now, the Occupy movement consists of people from diverse ages and backgrounds. If you want to know more, then ‘google,’ the Occupy Wall Street group or google some alternative groups such as the ANSWER Coalition with David Swanson.
Just some casual thoughts.

PS: These kids realized that if they had clearly enunciated goals and leaders the corporatists would have an easier time destroying this movement in its infancy. Anyway, why should they have to explain every goal like a formal position paper when the puppet leaders of our fraudulent duopoly (Dems and GOP) are never pressed to do the same beyond the intellectual pablum of slogans like …”Yes We Can” or “No More Taxes.” When will any of us demand more from stenographers like Wolf Blitzer?

Patrizia Bertini: I have been around the OccupyLSX in London before it has taken the streets and observed and supported [the never born] ‘Occupy Italy’ . Let me add few more inputs.
The whole movement is seen much more as a western take on the Arab Spring – it’s the recognition that the capitalistic system as transformed from the ’70s with all the deregulations, has created a sick social and economic system.

It’s a global movement, the first ever global protest in history – it has started with the very first revolt in Western Sahara (few month before the Tunisian guy set himself on fire) as a struggle for freedom and independence and it moved to Western societies, where the social systems were failing one after the other.
Western society also needed freedom and independence, though the ‘enemy’ were well different – it was not a tyranny as in the case of the Arab Spring, but a whole global economical system.

People are very diverse – each of them brings their own bits to the protest, but the whole movement, globally, has few very common points:
1. elaborate on the current global economical and social system – if the capitalism as meant and conducted until the 70s proved to reduce social gaps, after the deregulations and the globalization in name of profit and the exploitation of developing countries, the system increased the gap up to what we have today [and this justifies the 99% slogan];

1. Since the financial and social system failed, protesters try to put more attention on social needs and on sustainable progress. And by sustainable they mean that progress and society should not exploit and take advantage of developing countries or weak social classes. And sustainability also involves the environment and in fact the whole movement has a strong attention on global warming, recycling and green politics (they often do guerilla gardening action in cities).

1. Hence all the number of activities which are meant to promote the social debate, change the agenda, ask for more equality, for a system which is not the communist-style system, rather than an ‘evolved capitalistic system’.

It’s a much more complex reality than the ‘no tax’ slogans. It’s not about taxes, it’s about seeing how society has failed in its social aims, admitting that globalisation, as used just to increase the profits, it’s only damaging the planet, the economies and the society.
It’s a fascinating movement, because it’s global.

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of Russians marched in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and several other cities decrying the recent parliamentary election results. In the largest series of protests since the fall of the Soviet Union 20 years ago people have united across political affiliations shouting, “We exist! We exist!”

The protests began December 4th – shortly after election results were released showing in some instances returns that totaled as high as 146% of the popular vote. Russians took to the streets, chanting, “Putin is a thief” and “Russia without Putin.” By the following Saturday, people turned out en masse (estimates range from 25,000-100,000) for a protest in Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square. It was accompanied by dozens of smaller rallies across Russia’s nine time zones.

During the election, ballot boxes were stuffed; monitors shooed away; voter registrations bought, sold, and forged; and teams of United Russia activists bussed from precinct to precinct to vote early and often, in a process called “The Carousel.”

The elections were not a surprise. Last September the current President Dmitry Medvedev announced Vladimir Putin would run again for the presidency, a post that he held from 2000 to 2008 and an impossibility until a recent amendment to the Russian Constitution.

This revealed a level of cronyism, long suspected – Medvedev has been cast as “Robin to Putin’s Batman”. Some Russians now snidely refer to this political maneuvering as “rokirovka” – the Russian word for castling in chess, the move in which a rook and the king are moved at the same time, to shelter the king. This “castling move” will allow Mr. Medvedev to assume Mr. Putin’s job as prime minister after the elections March 4th – an agreement according to Putin that was reached “a long time ago, several years back.”

This announcement was understandably met with public outrage and frustration. Putin’s approval ratings went down. Vladimir Aristarkhov, a local publishing house employee, explained, “Our local version of Dr. Evil and his Mini-Me will stay in power as long as they can.” At the time there were a few small protests but nothing compared with the magnitude of crowds post-election, inspired by people-powered movements across the globe.

The demonstrations are a welcoming sign of a popular social movement organizing in opposition to the self-described “Putin regime”. They also countered a long-standing belief that the only groups capable of mass mobilization in Russia are extreme nationalists.

“I guess I just got tired of whining about Putin on my blog,” says Sergei, 31, an IT engineer. “I felt like I had to actually do something, something real.”

As of November 2011, Russia has more Internet users than any other country in Europe, and the country’s blogosphere, with about 5 million blogs and 30 million monthly readers, has become the last truly free space for political discourse in Russia’s tightly controlled media.

In a departure from “business as usual” Russian national television actually covered the uprisings. Newspaper reports claimed a veteran news anchor, Alexei Pivovarov, refused broadcast if he could not cover the protests, thereby, forcing media outlets to cover the December 24th protests as well.

During a recent four and half hour radio interview Putin suggested that the protesters were being paid and ridiculed them. But Putin’s hubris and glib mockery seem to have gone a step too far. “They let the genie out of the bottle on Sept. 24,” said Ilya Ponomaryov, one of the protest organizers. A Muscovite tweeter, Aafinogen, stated that during Mr. Putin’s speech the number of people signed up on Facebook for the protest December 24th rose by 3,500 people, totaling 21,500.

The December 24th demonstration in Moscow, Ралли За честные выборы (Rally For Fair Elections) or #D24, took place at Sakharov Avenue around 2pm (MSD, UTC+4) with an estimated 120,000 protesters present. “We have enough people here to take the Kremlin … but we are peaceful people and we won’t do that – yet. But if these crooks and thieves keep cheating us, we will take what is ours.” said activist, anti-corruption lawyer and blogger Alexei Navalny who spent 15 days in jail for his participation in demonstrations on Dec. 5th.

Blatant fraud during the Dec. 4th parliamentary elections was critical in mobilizing the middle class, who for years has remained otherwise apathetic or silent about the political climate. The rally today was larger than previous demonstrations, and along with several protests held in other cities and towns throughout Russia, indicates that this is indeed a growing protest movement. “There are so many of us here, and they [the government] are few … They are huddled up in fear behind police cordons,” said former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, one of many speakers at today’s rally.

In the Pacific port of Vladivostok, demonstrators carried posters calling for Mr. Putin to be put on trial and regional MP Artyom Samsonov said the election results should be cancelled. Novosibirsk, Siberia held a rally of 800-1,500 peaceful demonstrators. About 100 marched bravely in Orenburg, on the Kazakhstan border, despite a heavy frost and temperatures of -15C. Chelyabinsk, a city in the southern Urals, held protests of about 500 under the slogan “These elections were a farce! We want honest elections!”

President Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally and long-standing member of Putin’s regime, promised those and other changes, including the restoration of direct elections for half of parliamentary seats and easing impartial rules for presidential elections, during a national address given Thursday. However, many have expressed discontent with what they perceive as false promises. “These measures are insufficient. They are intended to calm people down and prevent them from showing up at rallies.”, says Arina Zhukova, 45, who attended today’s demonstration in Moscow. Protest organizers have also made it clear that they will keep fighting for a re-election and the punishment of government officials who played a part in the recent election fraud.

A resolution to create the Moscow Voters’ Association to monitor elections for fraud was passed at today’s rally based on concerns expressed during the demonstrations December 10th, when fifty thousand people assembled in Moscow.

At today’s rally, 22 speakers were expected to attend, where the opposition addressed a politically diverse crowd. Yury Shevchuk, a Russian rock musician, told protesters to keep their dignity and avoid “competing in hatred for the authorities” by video message. Grigory Yavlinsky, presidential candidate and veteran liberal, spoke in person, calling for a free electoral system. Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet leader, was unable to attend, but sent a message of support for the protesters instead.

Russia has long been known as a hot bed of oligarchic cronyism and corruption – Putin was a member of the KGB – but until now opposition and dissent has been limited to predominantly Internet activity. However, with new insight into how national politics are cavalierly decided in secrecy, Russians are incensed. Finding inspiration in people-powered movements across the globe, they are using the virtual space they have created to capture the physical.

Like this:

On Bill of Rights Day, Thursday, Dec 15 there will be a Press Conference on Federal Court Steps, 40 Centre St., Manhattan, 11am. A coffin of the Bill of Rights will be brought to Federal Court Foley Square, NY, NY

The Bill of rights was ratified 220 years ago, on December 15, 1791. It is shameful that today, in the United States, we are forced to come together in defense of the Bill of Rights and our civil liberties, as the representatives of the 1% who rule this country continue to take our rights away.

Congress is attempting to bury the Bill of Rights. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA) includes language proposed by Democratic Sen. Carl Levin and Republican Sen. John McCain that allows for the arrest and indefinite detention of U.S. citizens by the military, on U.S. soil and without the right of trial. This is an egregious violation of our first amendment rights and comes at a time when we are witnessing unprecedented attacks on our civil liberties.

Some of these attacks include:

Massive spying on the Muslim community, including the recent revelations of the spying by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the CIA on mosques, Muslim businesses, and Muslim student groups;

The continuation of the policy of sending agents into mosques with phony plots designed to entrap Muslims for so called “preemptive prosecution”;

The recent raids on homes of antiwar activists by federal agents, who have carted away personal computers, cell phones, books, and other possessions and handed the activists subpoenas to appear before federal grand juries;

The recent, often violent evictions of anti-Wall Street occupations around the country; The refusal of the Chicago city government and the federal government to allow for peaceful protests when NATO and the G8 countries come to Chicago in May, 2012 to hold summit meetings.

The potential impact of the NDAA’s provisions to expand military detention without trial could render the other issues we all address seemingly trivial; any activist stands at risk of designation as a potential terrorist, especially if their interests include either foreign policy or enterprises that impact the environment.

On December 15, Bill of Rights Day actions and press conferences are planned in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco and other areas of the country. Several national coalitions — including the Muslim Peace Coalition, United National Antiwar Coalition, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Committee to Stop FBI Repression and others are co-promoting this call to action.

In New York, representatives from civil liberties, religious, social justice, and peace organizations will come together to voice opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act and other recent attacks on our civil liberties. We will discuss our plans to fight for the rights of all people and to defeat this repressive legislation.

Two days ago, in a reversal of prior claims to support OWS, the Mayor of Boston threatened to evict Occupy Boston. In response, supporters from across Massachusetts and the country gathered at Occupied Dewey Square:

They came by bus from New York and DC. They carpooled from Providence and flew in from Chicago. They drove from Worcester, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Last night, demonstrating how clearly Occupy Boston’s message has been heard and understood, two thousand people traveled from near and far to defend Dewey Square. They painted signs and spoke in General Assembly. They chanted and sang, “Which Side Are You On?” six times, at least, as a brass brand blew steam into the frozen December night. They rallied at midnight, making circles two deep around tents, as the Veterans for Peace stood guard, white flags snapping in the wind. They dressed as bankers so that bankers might be arrested for once. And when the news came that no raid was coming, no eviction imminent, they danced in the streets to celebrate.

The police did eventually come. They waited days, hoping people would stop paying attention. Like previous raids in other cities, they made their move like cowards in the pre-dawn shadows at 5AM this morning. The city used bulldozers to destroy what had been home to hundreds. At least 45 peaceful protesters were arrested while linking arms to nonviolently protect their homes and their right to free speech. When one female police officer began to cry, her male superiors yelled and berated her.

Adding to suspicions that the Boston police and city officials sought to hide their actions from the public, police reportedly enforced a media blackout. Many officers were seen covering their badge numbers. According to Occupy Boston, “Credentialed press, citizen journalists, academic researchers, and Occupy Boston media members were repeatedly corralled and moved to surrounding areas 50 feet away or more, prohibiting many from thoroughly covering the raid.” Livestreamers, medics, and legal observers were also among those targeted and arrested.

Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, and many other cities have now experienced nearly identical raids. Almost always, city officials claim to act in the public interest, citing “health and safety” or “sanitation” as their reason to suppress Occupy. But we know this is a lie. Occupy Boston alone distributed many thousands of meals, lent books, provided shelter for those who had nowhere else to go, and delivered services that the government has refused to provide because they are too busy providing tax breaks to the rich and bailouts to the banks and corporations.

An Occupation is not a hazard; it is a haven. If city governments cared about sanitation, they would not spend thousands of dollars to evict homeless Occupiers. Instead, they could use that money to open more shelters for the homeless, many of whom must live in squalor every day. If the politicians and police are so concerned about health, instead of prioritizing the arrest of peaceful protesters who have harmed no one, why don’t they make providing real universal health care their priority?

We know what this is. It is a crackdown; a coordinated attack on the 99% movement for social and economic equality. And we will not back down. As Occupy Boston and many others have said:

You cannot evict an idea whose time has come. Boston’s Occupiers will persist in rejecting a world created by and for the 1%. We might have been evicted, but we shall not be moved. We remain invested in the future of our movement. […] We are the 99%, and we are no longer silent.

Occupy Movement in Boston

Two weeks ago, a federal judge blocked a settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup, saying that he could not be sure that it was “fair, adequate, or in the public interest.” Last week, on the same day that Occupy Boston appeared in court, the District Attorney announced she was suing the banks for fraudulent foreclosure practices. Commentators across the political spectrum are thinking anew about unemployment and pensions. A blocked settlement, a lawsuit, a renewed conversation – these are not our goals, but it is not too much to call them symptoms of our success, surface indications of a fundamental change we are building. We are not surprised. We have learned over the past ten weeks just how powerful the people can be. We have come together across vast differences of experience, brought face to face by the belief that our collective capacity is greater than has been shown, that democracy is not exhausted by stale puppetry sponsored by finance, and that we can do better. And now, last night only most recently, we are united by the concrete knowledge that not only can we do better, we are. We are winning.

Like this:

Demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street movement stage a sit-in protest near the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, Photograph by: Scott Eells, Bloomberg

By Chris Francescani and Sharon Reich, Reuters

NEW YORK — Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters marched through New York’s financial district toward the stock exchange on Thursday to protest economic inequality at the heart of American capitalism.

Scores of police barricaded the narrow streets around the stock exchange and used batons to push the protesters onto the sidewalk as they marched from a nearby park in a bid to prevent financial workers from getting to their desks.

“I feel like this is a beautiful moment to take back our streets,” said Rachel Falcone, 27, from Brooklyn. “We need to prove we can exist anywhere. It’s gone beyond a single neighbourhood, it’s really an idea.”

Chanting “We are the 99 per cent” — a reference to their contention that the U.S. political system benefits only the richest one per cent — the protesters broke off into groups and tried to enter Wall Street from various points.

By 10 a.m., police spokesman Paul Browne said, about 50 people had been arrested at various locations in the financial district, mainly for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

At one point, some protesters chanted to police: “You’re sexy, you’re blue, now take off that riot suit.”

Taxi driver Mike Tupea, a Romanian immigrant, said his car had been stuck amid the protesters for 40 minutes.

“I have to make a living. I pay $100 for 12 hours for this cab. I am losing money every minute,”’ he said. “I have all my sympathies for this movement but let me do my living, let working people make a living.”

Most rallies by the two-month-old movement in New York have been attended by hundreds of people, but a spokesman for the protesters and city officials said on Wednesday that they expected tens of thousands to turn out for the day of action.

Protesters were planning to take their protest to 16 subway hubs later on Thursday, then return to City Hall for a rally before marching across the Brooklyn Bridge. Last month, more than 700 people were arrested during a similar march across the bridge after some protesters blocked traffic.

The demonstration comes two days after police evicted hundreds of protesters from their camp at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, where the Occupy Wall Street movement was born on Sept. 17 and sparked solidarity rallies and occupations of public spaces across the United States.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has also re-energized similar movements elsewhere in the world.

Peter Cohen, 47, an anthropologist from New York, wore a suit for the protest in a bid to improve the movement’s image.

“I have a job and (the suit) on because I’m tired of the way this movement has been characterized as a fringe movement,” said Cohen. “I’m not looking for money, I’m not looking for a job, I’m not a professional activist, just a normal citizen.”

Protesters say they are upset that billions of dollars in bailouts given to banks during the recession allowed a return to huge profits while average Americans have had no relief from high unemployment and a struggling economy.

They also say the richest one per cent of Americans do not pay their fair share of taxes.

“I’m hoping they can succeed in shutting down the stock exchange for the day,” said Paul Layton, a trial lawyer, as he tried to get to his financial district office. “And that through their efforts they can convince government to regulate the financial industry.”

The New York Stock Exchange opened on time and was operating normally.

Derek Tabacco was not happy as he tried to get to the offices of his financial technology company and was carrying a sign with a message for the protesters that read “Get a job.”

The clearing of the Occupy camp in New York followed evictions in Atlanta, Portland and Salt Lake City. Unlike action in Oakland, California, where police used tear gas and stun grenades, most protesters left voluntarily.

Megyn Norbut, from Brooklyn, said she holds down three jobs and that she joined the protest on Thursday “because we got kicked out of Zuccotti and we need to show that this is a mental and spiritual movement, not a physical movement.”